The University of South Carolina and Prisma Health – the state’s largest not-for-profit
health organization – are announcing a partnership that aims to encourage the development
and implementation of innovative health care delivery models, medical devices, digital
health applications, and treatments for diseases.

Under the arrangement, which was approved by UofSC’s Board of Trustees on February
21, the University’s Office of Economic Engagement will assist Prisma Health – along
with the UofSC Schools of Medicine in Columbia and Greenville – in identifying opportunities
to develop mutually beneficial relationships with industry partners, bridging the
gap between Prisma Health’s cutting-edge health research and the development of new
technologies that help patients.

“At Prisma Health, we strive to go beyond treating diseases or their symptoms and
aim to find cures and to design medical devices and digital capabilities that allow
us to restore and transform lives,” said Mark O’Halla, President and Chief Executive
Officer at Prisma Health. “Harnessing our expertise and that of the University of
South Carolina together will help us accelerate our ability to address society’s most
significant health challenges.“

Specifically, Prisma Health and UofSC will collaborate on a number of opportunities,
including intellectual property patents and technology transfer support, operations
development, cybersecurity, institutional insights, and strategic planning – all towards
the shared goal of furthering research and innovation towards improving treatments
and health care delivery. At its core, this partnership will drive innovation through
UofSC’s extended successes delivering education, mentoring programs, and incubation
asset development, as well as Prisma Health’s experience in leveraging its clinical
and non-clinical expertise in the health care market, to drive innovations from benchside
prototypes to clinical outcomes.

“This strengthens the outstanding partnership that already exists with Prisma Health.
We are greatly committed to addressing the health needs of all South Carolina residents,
and working together with Prisma in academics, research and patient care will make
a real difference,” said UofSC President Bob Caslen.

As the state’s flagship university, UofSC is uniquely suited to help Prisma Health
develop research or innovation partnerships that can lead to higher healthcare outcomes
for patients across the state. This new relationship builds off of previous partnerships
the university had with Prisma Health and its legacy predecessors, Greenville Health
System and Palmetto Health, before they combined in 2019 to form Prisma Health.

“We have an extensive history of facilitating and supporting innovation efforts across
multiple sectors,” said Bill Kirkland, executive director of UofSC’s Office of Economic Engagement. “Through this partnership with Prisma Health, we will now apply our commercialization
and entrepreneurial successes to healthcare and life sciences. While this relationship
will bear fruit for both institutions, the real winners are the people of South Carolina,
who stand to benefit from better access to care, innovative treatments, and the latest
applications of research.”

“Prisma Health is committed to improving the health of South Carolinians,” said Brenda
Thames, Prisma Health chief academic executive officer. “We are adapting to an ever-changing and increasingly
challenging healthcare environment by becoming a learning health system that adopts
rapid cycle innovation processes. While research provides the mechanism for evaluating
and comparing the effectiveness of existing care models, innovation allows us to develop
and improve new care models.”

Dr. David Cull, Prisma Health vice president of clinical and academic integration,
added, “Through this partnership, we will create, test, and implement innovative initiatives
that challenge the status quo and have the potential to reduce the cost of care, improve
quality, and increase access to healthcare services.”

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